Over the past year, Susan gave five media trainings including one for the board of a national event, and one at the annual CP meeting for CP reps and Atlanta community members. Four groups requested her services as spoksperson for their event, and she reviewed their Web sites for media "triggers".

In total, Susan received 85 requests in all via email and phone calls. These numbers are about the same as last year's, except for a drop in the number of inquiries:

33 Interviews

30 Incident Response Requests

22 Inquiries

33 Interviews Among others, Susan gave interviews to reporters with the following publications: Bay Area Reporter, Star Ledger, ABC News, WABC Radio, Globe & Mail, Portfolio Magazine, 1010 Wins, and The Colbert Report. A few examples:

Interview with Jeff Bercovici of Portfolio Magazine regarding the NY Post's sensationalized coverage of the Canadian man who went into a coma at the Nutcracker in New York.

Interview with Curtis Sliwa on WABC Radio about the Star Ledger article.

X-Biz reporters continue to contact NCSF about a variety of issues, helping to feature BDSM and swing issues in adult entertainment coverage.

Several interviews were also given to Judy Dutton who is writing a book for Random House.

30 Incident Response Requests The biggest media incident of the year involved the wide-spread national media attacks on Folsom Street Fair orchestrated by religious political extremist groups who denounced Miller for sponsoring the Fair. NCSF broadcast an Action Alert to help. Miller remains a sponsor of the fair.

On a more local level, recently the BerkMontNews ran an article quoting the borough president who outed and denounced the private Kissabal parties for swingers at the American House Hotel (these parties don't include any sexual activities). Susan was quoted in the BerkMontNews follow-up article questioning the validity of an elected official trying to stop adults from meeting together at a bar. The mayor stated that the town needed to attract business, not run it off. The borough president resigned the next week amid the controversy. The Kissabal parties continue on as planned. A few other examples:

Community Boardmember Goldman attacked the NY Leather Weekend, claiming the NY Leather Weekend streetfair doesn't belong in the West Village.

A man lost his church music job because he was photographed with a man on a leash at the Gay Pride Parade.

A nonprofit BDSM club was seeking media help while obtaining an adult entertainment license.

A club needed help writing letters to local officials regarding city health code and sex regulations.

The Cherry Pit, a swing club in Duncanville, Texas, that is now operating as a not-for-profit in a residential neighborhood consulted with both Susan and Legal Director John.

Guy Baldwin was attacked by religious political extremist groups when he was given a leather leadership award by NGLTF's Creating Change.

A hotel tried to break a contract with a fetish conference. With NCSF's help, the event went off as planned.

In three separate incidents caused by dangerous insiders, community members who feared being outed to the media requested help.

21 Inquiries Reuters Insight Community Experts contacted Susan to join as a sexuality expert, and after submitting her credentials and application, Reuters is now referring her as an expert. The Hawaii Health Department requested statistics of BDSM practitioners. Plus there was an inquiry about how to go about removing Sexual Sadism, Sexual Masochism, and Fetishism from the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistic Manual IV-TR.

NCSF Actions Alerts Two Action Alerts were broadcast over the past year: NCSF urged community members to write to the Task Force and thank them for recognizing Guy Baldwin with their Leather Leadership Award at Creating Change. NCSF also called for letters of support for Folsom Street Fair to be sent to Miller Brewing thanking them for being a sponsor of the Fair. Miller remains a sponsor of the Fair for this year.

Press Releases

A total of eight press releases were also broadcast over the past year which included much more detailed information about what NCSF does for the community:

Coalition Partners Celebrate a Year of Success at NCSF's Annual Meeting

NCSF Welcomes New Executive Director

NCSF's Education Outreach Program (EOP) welcomes a new Coordinator

Nominate ITCR: The Foundation of NCSF for ALT.com's Charity Giveaway!

NCSF 10th Anniversary pins now for sale!

Volunteer for NCSF!

Stand Up and Be Counted! Participate in the Survey of Violence & Discrimination Against Sexual Minorities

NCSF is here to help you - the SM, swing and polyamory communities. If you have a problem with the media because of your sexual expression, please call NCSF for assistance. You can visit our Web site on www.ncsfreedom.org or call our media hotline at 917-848-6544.

Please support NCSF in our effort to change the political, legal, and social environment in the United States. We are committed to making a difference. Join NCSF as a member or please hold a fund raiser and donate to NCSF!

In the News

NCSF’s Coalition Partners Join Together for Consent Summit The National Coalition for Sexual Freedom held its annual Coalition Partner meeting in Phoenix, Arizona from February 8-10, 2013. The Consent Summit took place Friday evening, and Coalition Partners were able to participate via streaming video to give their input on the new Consent Statement. Go to www.ncsfreedom.org to see the Consent Statement and comment on it. “The Consent Statement…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE National Coalition for Sexual Freedom NCSF Survey on Consent The National Coalition for Sexual Freedom (NCSF) wants to hear from you! Please take our Consent Counts survey and tell us what you think about consent: www.ncsfreedom.org/survey.html As part of decriminalizing BDSM in the legal codes, we need to be able to articulate a clear definition of consent that the BDSM communities believe in. The results of this…

NCSF Launches the Next Chapter for Consent Counts February 27, 2012 The National Coalition for Sexual Freedom (NCSF) announces two new publications as part of its nationwide campaign, Consent Counts. The Consent Counts Project was launched by the BDSM-leather-fetish communities in 2006 to decriminalize consensual BDSM in U.S. law by ensuring that consent will be recognized as a defense to criminal charges brought under assault laws and other statutes. "For…

Our BDSM communities could be adversely impacted by a well-intentioned, but overly broad, piece of proposed criminal legislation that has been introduced by Senator Christine Kehoe in the California Senate. NCSF is asking all of you to sign and send to NCSF letters (a draft is attached below) that we can introduce if necessary at a hearing likely to be held in April, 2011. The purpose of the bill, SB…

In an indictment rendered by a Grand Jury in the Western District of Missouri on September 9, 2010, five Missouri men allegedly participated in torturing a mentally disabled woman online or in person over a multi-year period when the victim was between the ages of 16 and 24. Among the charges are: Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud or Coercion, Forced Labor Trafficking, Transportation for Sexual Activity, and Conspiracy. The allegations…

Consent Counts: We're Making a Difference

Completed Federal and State Legal Research

Developed Educational Programs and Outreach Materials

Built Alliances With Sexual Freedom Advocacy Groups

About Consent Counts

NCSF is leading a major national campaign—Consent Counts—to change the laws and police practices that our communities now endure, and to establish that consent is available as a defense in criminal BDSM prosecutions.

BDSM is prosecuted as assault in the U.S., even when it is consensual.

No state or appellate court has allowed consent as a defense to assault in BDSM cases.

Consent Counts is a nationwide project to decriminalize consensual BDSM.

Program Goals:Consent Counts is a nationwide project to decriminalize consensual BDSM through education, advocacy, legal actions and lobbying.